


Whumptober 2020

by imacashew



Category: Guild Wars 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Blood and Injury, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Gen, Illnesses, M/M, Nightmare Court (Guild Wars), Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Recovery, Torture, Whump, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:53:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 6,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28090464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imacashew/pseuds/imacashew
Summary: Drabbles that I wrote for Whumptober this year, all about my GW2 OCs (with mentions of my friends' OCs because it's all connected).
Kudos: 1
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Day 1: Shackled

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to a bunch of drabbles that no one knows the backstory to except for me. And a couple of friends.
> 
> Each of drabbles are written about my Guild Wars 2 PCs: some canon, some not so canon.

Asphodel almost stopped breathing, seeing her like that, but the aqua-breather strapped to his face made sure he didn’t. 

Something in himself squeezed with anxiety as he took in her still form, defenseless and shackled to the cage like some animal. 

It felt so wrong. So, so wrong.

He should have kept an eye on her more. It should be his responsibility to keep her safe and no one else’s. 

If something had happened to her…

He shook his head vigorously, trying to force more positive thoughts into his own mind, the dirty water burning his eyes more than they already were. He swallowed hard under his mask. 

His hands fumbled with the lock that he had no key to, eventually deciding to shove one of his half-chipped daggers into the hole in a desperate attempt to pick it. He stabbed and stabbed at it, eventually breaking the lock in two.

He gathered Lily into his arms, ignoring the pain and growing numbness in one of them, and kicked towards the surface. He eyed warily at the roughness around her wrists, the broken bark that rested there.

If she wasn’t alright, those sneaky, slimy krait were going to regret the day they took her from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asphodel: Sylvari Necromancer


	2. Day 2: Kidnapped

_ Something is very wrong _ , whispered her head as she woke, hurting and alone. 

As she pushed herself up from the ground, delicate fingers digging into the soil, Sif’s golden eyes looked around the cell, covered in thorns. 

_ Familiar, but so, so wrong _ , her brain supplied for her. A feeling of unease rushed over her and let the panic join the variety of her manic thoughts.

She shivered.

_ The butterfly was all alone.  _ She hugged her thin arms around her middle,  _ the spider wasn’t there to make everything okay.  _

Trembling, she shuffled herself to the bars, eager to see the other side. She curled her fingers around them, she ignored the pricks of the thorns, the sap beading from the cuts in her hands. 

A green face came into view, a single yellow eye met hers and a wicked, fanged smile stretched across the face. When she blinked, the fangs disappeared.

“Ah, I see you’re awake, love,” he purred, sending shivers down her spine. “You’re a nice, little treat.”

As his corrosive fingers grasped her jaw in a tight grip, she realized she was in the bowels of one-eyed viper, unsure if she would see the home of the Arbor again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Siflora: Sylvari Mesmer (Nightmare Courtier)


	3. Day 3: Manhandled | Forced to their Knees

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, trying to pull his captors’ iron grip from his biceps. They only held on tighter, cracking the bark under their fat fingertips.

His fingers itched for his daggers, so he could draw his own blood and immobilize them to get himself out of here. 

Unfortunately for Asphodel, his blades had been taken from him. These pirates were smarter than he thought they were.

He had to get out of here, Luna was waiting for him.

They roughly shoved him forward, causing him to lose his balance, tripping over his own long feet.

His captor responded in kind by plowing a meaty fist into his stomach, forcing him to cough up a bitter sap onto his lips. He keeled over, a groan escaped his lips, and fell to his knees. The meaty pirates pushed their huge hands onto his shoulders.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here? A little Whispers Agent all by his lonesome?”

Someone grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at them: captain of the crew.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun with you, boyo.”

He let out a deep sigh, narrowing his toxic green eyes at the wretched, norn pirate, “Ah...fuck you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asphodel: Sylvari Necromancer


	4. Day 4: Collapsed Building

As Elah came to, she could feel sticky sap oozing from a large gash on her forehead. 

She shifted and pushed her gauntlet covered hands into the cobbled streets of Lion’s Arch, where the immediate regret flowed through her. Pain flooded her senses, bringing tears to her eyes. 

When she looked over her shoulder, she saw the inn in pieces around her, bricks and scaffolding in pieces on top of her. 

Her entire body started trembling, still exhausted as her adrenaline completely drained from the battle before she was knocked out. She could feel the building add pressure on top of her armor, heavy and painful. 

This wasn’t the way she wanted to die, pinned like a rat in a trap. She wanted to die on the battlefield, like her brothers and sisters in the Vigil. 

Like Forgal. 

She had to get out of here. Once she tried to move her leg, she winced at the feeling of sap ooze underneath her armor. 

Her eyes burned, but she refused to let them fall. She arched her back upwards, trying again to lessen the weight on her legs. 

Elah would not die here. 

Not if she had anything to say about it.    


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elah: Sylvari Warrior  
> (with some references to the Battle of Lion's Arch)


	5. Day 5: Failed Escape

“Where do you think you’re going, eh?” He said as a wicked smile etched its way onto his lips. 

Brennus slowly walked towards the trembling, little body on the floor. They kept trying to crawl away, as he tossed his dagger into the air as it flipped perfectly. His piercing eye never strayed from the weakling in front of him. 

With a fluid catch, the dagger’s handle landed in his palm and he smirked. He dug the sharp blade into his other palm and channeled his necrotic magic into the bleeding sap. 

His hand shot out, the magic immobilized them in place. The frozen sylvari started sobbing, unable to move any further. 

He knelt on the ground, taking the terrified sylvari’s chin in his poisoned hand and let it corrode the bark on their jaw. 

“This is a lot more fun, innit? If you left, you’d be missing the party.”

His smile got wider as he felt the pain in the other sylvari’s body. The joy he felt as the screams got caught in their throat. 

He definitely enjoyed this part. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brennus: Sylvari Necromancer (Nightmare Court)


	6. Day 6: “Get it Out” | No More | “Stop, please”

She gulped as his dagger rested at her throat, manic in his icy-blue eyes.

“Stop this, Malva,” he hissed, venom in his voice, so different from how he always talked to her in private. She could hear it in the back of her mind, low, loving, and gentle.

“Den, it’s me,” she whispered, “It’s Delphine.” She took one hand and rested on his, rubbing his knuckles with her thumb. Her other hand reached up to his cragged bark jaw, resting it there.

“No more,” he choked out, raspy and on the verge of tears, “Stop, please.” He started to tremble, a shadow of his usual self.

“Den, just focus on me,” she said with conviction, stroking his cheek with her other thumb, “That’s all you have to do, focus on me okay?

She sent everything she was, all of her love for him and everything they had together through the Dream. A smile eased itself onto her lips in order to calm his mania. 

After some time, his eyes softened and he dropped the dagger and fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around her small waist. She returned the hug around his shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

Tears threatened to fall from Delphine’s eyes as she stroked the dark leaves on his head. Long and flowing, the same as they were when she first saw him.

“I’ll do my best to fix this, Den. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Delphine: Sylvari Ranger (Warden)


	7. Day 7: Carrying

As she came to, she could feel a pounding in her head and fear echoing through her mind.

It wasn’t a pleasant kind of fear, the kind of fear that she enjoyed feeling from her playthings. It was the raw, terrifying fear of possible loss, laced with uncontrollable rage. 

Her head was thumping against a familiar chest of blacks and reds. Despite the anger and fear, she knew who was holding her. She knew she could always depend on him to protect her. 

“The spider saved the butterfly,” she mumbled into his chest, clinging to the leaves of his coat with a weak grip. 

He responded by holding her closer to him and saying, “Of course I did. I can't believe those bastards took you.” 

She started to draw circles on his chest as he watched his hound run ahead of them, scouting for the best way out. The patterns she wove amongst the leaves took her focus away from the pains she felt. 

She could feel the fear ease away as she did so, slowly replacing it with determination mixed with his persistent anger. 

She was safe now. He was here. 

_ I knew you would come for me. You always do.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Siflora: Sylvari Mesmer


	8. Day 8: Isolation

Silvery eyes sprung open as he felt the crippling loneliness. 

It felt like coldness reaching into his chest from the pit of his stomach, crawling higher and higher, threatening to take his entire being. 

He could feel tears in his eyes, burning, and laid in his bed. The rough sheets rubbed against his bark and loneliness in his bones. A heavy weight laid at his feet, which snored loudly in the quiet night. 

Oleander missed her so much. So much that it hurt in his very soul. His soul felt like it was torn violently in half. 

Part of him felt like he had abandoned her, alone in the Dream. He was out in the wide, wonderful world and she was alone without him. 

She didn’t even have a name yet. 

Anxiety rushed through him. She was alone. He was all she ever knew. Was she alright? Was she thinking of him? 

Would she remember him when she woke? Would she hate him for leaving her all alone? He clenched the blanket on top of him with tense hands and let the tears fall onto the pillow beneath his head. 

_ I don’t think I would be able to handle it if she hated me.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oleander: Sylvari Ranger


	9. Day 9: "Run!"

Acon tightened the grip on his daggers as he saw the Mordrem pile over the hill.

There were too many of them. He felt a flash of fear flutter through his mind. 

It wasn’t his own. 

He glanced at Tangelo, who seemed to be thinking every quickly about the situation. He could only feel one thing coming from his love. 

Fear. Loads of fear. 

Their eyes locked. Acon wanted to go to him, but there was something else that echoed through his mind. 

He watched as Tangelo breathed in, attempting to ease his nerves to do whatever he did next. He watched as Tangelo tightened the grip on his elixir gun and swallowed. 

“Everyone run. I’ll hold them back.”

If he had been human, Acon would have said that his heart got stuck in his throat, pounding with unadulterated fear. 

He stepped closer to his best friend, companion, partner. He placed a hand on Tangelo’s shoulder, who brushed it off. 

“Acon, go with the others.”

“But-“

“Go! Run!” Green eyes blazed with fear and determination, “Go!”

He felt himself be pulled in the other direction, dread filling his entire being. 

It took everything in him to shout back to Tangelo, rawness in his throat and pain in his soul, “You better survive this! You hear me? Survive!”

His love didn’t even look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Acon: Sylvari Thief


	10. Day 10: Blood Loss | Internal Bleeding | Trail of Blood

_ Breathe in.  _

_ Breathe out.  _

_ Breathe in.  _

_ Breathe out.  _

Asphodel trembled as he did his best to stop the bleeding shoulder, the sticky sap under his gloved fingers. It tingled with acid, which seemed to come from the mouth that did it. 

Was it a wolf? Mordrem? 

Whatever it was took a bloody chunk out of his shoulder, he mused as he slid down the trunk of a tree, groaning as he did so. 

His shoulder burned. 

He blinked as his eyes followed the trail of golden sap that came from him. Sap dripped down his bicep, pooling in the crook of his elbow. 

He was going to lose consciousness here.

Mordrem were going to get and destroy him here. 

He might die here in the jungle without seeing Lily again. 

“Fuck,” he hissed under his breath, “I need to get out of here.” Asphodel attempted pushing his legs outward to stand, only for his knees to buckle under his own weight. 

He let out a low, ragged breath. The pain in his shoulder intensified tenfold, causing him to press his hand tighter to the wound. 

He looked up to the canopy of the trees, hoping for a glimpse of the sky. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asphodel: Sylvari Necromancer


	11. Day 11: Crying

He didn’t love her.

He never loved her.

All that time they spent together and  _ nothing _ ? She gave all she was and to make him happy, to make herself happy.

Datura could feel her eyes burn with unshed tears. 

_ Don’t cry. He doesn’t deserve them. _

Did she mean nothing to him? Was she just a plaything in his games, to have fun and just throw away when he got bored?

He had never loved her, that was certain. Didn’t love her because she didn’t consider herself a man and had all of the  _ wrong  _ body parts.

She could feel tears escape from her eyes, desperate for release. A catharsis that she refused to let happen, as she felt weak and completely vulnerable.

She was not weak, but she sure felt vulnerable.

He was more to her than he’d ever know or even care about. Was she just great for a good fuck and nothing else?

Her jaw trembled violently, emotions rushing through her without relief.

All she ever wanted, was to feel loved. 

Was she unlovable? What was it about her that no one loved her in return?

She was a failure at that too, apparently.

She let the tears fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Datura: Sylvari Mesmer


	12. Day 12: Broken Down | Broken Bones

She launched herself over the cliff in a blind rage. Tears streamed from her eyes and a guttural yell erupted from her throat.

She slammed her body and blade into her undead victims, obliterating them on the spot.

She screamed.

And screamed.

With every hack and slash, she screamed. Elah screamed until her own throat tore itself apart.

How could he do that? How could he sacrifice himself like that?

How could he leave her alone like this?

Through the blur in her vision, her barely noticed the numbers rise before her. The risen threw the small sylvari, hard, into the cliffside. That’s when the adrenaline decided to wear off. 

She was curled into a heap, covered in Risen guts, dust, and her own tears.

As she laid there on the ground, intense pain shot up her leg, worsening as she did her best to maneuver herself in a more presentable manner.

The rage was gone and grief and sorrow was left in its place. She sobbed to herself, broken and covered in sap. 

Everything was hurting: her leg, her ribs, the very depths of her very soul.

Three things were true.

One, Forgal Kernsson was gone.

Two, nothing in the world could bring him back.

And lastly...

She was all alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elah: Sylvari Warrior  
> (canon Commander)


	13. Day 13: Chemical Pneumonia

It started with a cough several weeks after dealing with the miasma in Lion’s Arch. 

A simple cough that he figured was just a tickle in his throat that would go away with a sip of water and a night’s rest.

It didn’t go away.

He coughed every time he was working on projects in the lab and in the field. He could feel his lungs rattle in his chest at every disruption. 

His heart pounded violently in his chest and head throbbed with indiscriminate pains as he made his rounds to tweak and tinker with arrow carts and trebuchets. He powered through it, as it didn’t seem as important as helping the Vigil in very important situations.

He continued to think nothing of it until he coughed up blood. Several little specks surrounded by phlegm, stark against the grey skin of his hand. By that point, the concern seemed to escalate as the day went on.

He must’ve lost consciousness at dinner time.

When he found himself laying in bed sometime later, struggling to breathe normally and joined by a concerned Frytt, he thought that he needed to take care of himself more. 

And hoped Phinoa wouldn’t find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rachytt: Asura Engineer


	14. Day 14: Heat Exhaustion

Asphodel felt like he was wilting. The leaves on his head flopped in dehydration, desperate for water or relief from the sun.

He huffed, breathless, as he trudged forward in the sand; it got into his boots and the folds of his pants. His legs were heavy and sore, struggling to keep moving. 

She needed him. 

He had to get through this sandy hellscape for her.

He ripped off his thick gloves and rolled up his sleeves, cringing at the old, pale scars marking the bark of his arms.

He didn’t even tell Lily he was coming here. He was going to be in trouble, so much trouble.

That didn’t matter anymore.

_ I’m sorry, Lily. She honestly needs me right now.  _

He blinked furiously as the world tilted on its side when he thought he heard Luna calling his name, sounding far away and muffled to his ears.

He fell to his knees, lightheaded with the spinning world. He was going to die out here, far from civilization and more alone than he had felt in ages.

His eyes rolled to the back of his head as everything went black.

_ I’m sorry, Luna. _

Sand swirled around him, laughing and waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asphodel: Sylvari Necromancer


	15. Day 15: Science Gone Wrong

As soon as his eyes opened, a groan escaped his lips. 

His head was pounding. Lights were too bright. 

What in the world happened? Last thing he knew, he was fiddling with an asura gate, a random flash of light, and a multidimensional fuse blew.

Then all he saw was darkness.

He dragged a hand over his face, groaning yet again. He felt like death and the Eternal Alchemy brought him back to torture him for the rest of eternity.

Wait. 

He stopped, staring at his hand. Was he concussed? Was he dreaming? Did he fall into a coma and his brain was in an alternate world?

There were five fingers on that hand. That couldn’t be his hand.

That would be absolutely preposterous. Asura didn’t have five fingers at all. Sometimes they would have two or four because of  _ accidents _ , but not  _ five _ .

There were engineering scars and calluses that looked familiar, but stretched awkwardly across the pale skin. The nails were chipped in exactly the same places, despite not being pointed at all.

_ His  _ hands trembled.

He could hear her voice echo in his head,  _ Look what you did now, skritt brain. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rachytt: Asura Engineer, where he gets transported to an AU where he's human.


	16. Day 16: Hallucinations

_ Asphodel… _

Her voice drifted to his ears, wonderful and familiar. Soft and soothing.

The pain in his arms faded to numbness, a lightness in his head. 

_ Lily… _

He sighed as he felt her hand on his cheek, comforting and lingering. Love flowed through him, spreading warmth throughout his freezing body. 

He reached for her lithe form with trembling hands. He needed her so much. 

His heart sank as his hand went through nothing at all. He clenched his trembling fist and tears burned his eyes. 

She wasn’t actually there. 

He was cold again. He was alone again. 

Shame washed over his entire being as he clenched his jaw in frustration. 

He had left her behind, crying and bleeding from the shoulder. He left her in that horrible Arbor, in the den of the monsters and sadists. 

He had hurt her and left her all alone. 

He really didn’t deserve her, that was for sure. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Asphodel: Sylvari Necromancer, yet again. Whumps are easy with him.


	17. Day 17: Blackmail

“Your lady friend is quite pretty, eh mate?” 

Delphine stiffened as the man across from Dendron gave a wide smile. She couldn’t get rid of the feeling of unease that rushed through her body. 

She could feel Dendron seethe next to her, inches from strangling this other man. She shifted closer to him, tangling her fingers with his. 

“Don’t you dare…”

“Oh, Dendron, I wouldn’t even dream of touching her...if you do something for me.”

Nightmare radiated from him, making her bark skin crawl with discomfort. Based on Dendron’s reaction, he knew this man well. 

“I’d never do anything for you,” Den hissed, “You leave Delphine alone.”

The other man gave a wicked smile, where an ominous feeling rushed over her. 

“Delphine, eh? Well, Delphine, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Dendron stepped in front of her, where she gripped his bicep in fear.

He hissed, “Leave.”

The man strode past them, without a care in the world that he was being threatened, and whispered in her ear, “I’ll see you around, love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Delphine: Sylvari Ranger (Warden), whose romantic partner is Dendron (Courtier).


	18. Day 18: Panic Attacks

A sense of foreboding doom inched itself over his head.

His heart was pounding in his throat as his hands trembled, clenched on his lap.

His mind was racing. It just wouldn’t stop. Why was this happening? Make it stop.

_ I’m having a panic attack,  _ Dorian said to himself, trying to bring his addled mind back to the present.

“I’m having a panic attack,” he said aloud, which was heard by Anselm and Kairi, who seemed to be in their own little conversation without him.

They jumped into action immediately, asking if they could touch him. Asking him what he needed from them to get him through this.

He gave a small nod, inviting them into his space.

Kairi knelt by him, pressing her hands to his knees, while Anselm rubbed small circles on his back, repeating, repeating, repeating.

They both said reassuring statements, such as, “We’re so proud of you. You’re okay,” 

“Count with me to ten, okay? Dorian, count with me,” Kairi’s lovely voice flittered through the panicked fog of his mind, clinging to it with a desperate thread. Dorian counted as Anselm connected the loops in rhythm.

He pulled on the thread and counted with her.

_ One. _

_ Two. _

_ Three. _

_ Four. _

_ Five… _ _   
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dorian: Human Necromancer (noble)


	19. Day 19: Grief | Mourning Loved One | Survivor’s Guilt

He never wanted to let Terri know how he felt about that day.

As far as anyone knew, Jon didn’t remember what happened before the coma. Truthfully, he remembered everything that happened before losing consciousness in extremely vivid detail.

He lost so many people he served with, so many people he cared about, his own mentor. He thought about them every single day after he woke up. 

He was here, they weren’t.

He would never let himself forget them.

He’d never let anyone know that he’d leave a stone on the Orr memorial on the anniversary of their deaths.

(Although he suspected that his loved ones knew about that and never said anything. He wondered why Aster never said anything, she usually would.)

He’d go to the Hero’s Canton in the Black Citadel on his mentor’s birthday, to have an ale and tell stories about his time learning from him. He’d laugh with the charr, celebrating the good life, but never forgetting the guilt that came with it.

If he hadn’t gotten hurt himself, his mentor would still be here.

If he hadn’t gotten hurt, Terri wouldn’t be blaming herself.

If he hadn’t gotten hurt, he wouldn’t have this constant weight on his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jonquil: Sylvari Revenant


	20. Day 20: Field Medicine

The arsehole got her. That damned arsehole sniper got her. 

There was a damn bullet wound in her hip. 

For some reason, it was gushing sap at an alarming rate, oozing yellow all over her pelvic area. She bit her lip as she ripped her undershirt away from the wound. 

The bullet was still in there, she realized as she shifted. She closed her eyes to brace herself and counted to ten. 

She took a deep breath and used a small dagger next to her to open the wound more. She threw the blade aside before placing her ripped shirt into mouth and bit down. 

Hard. 

She shoved her bare fingers into the wound, her screams muffled by the cloth in her mouth. Elah felt around for the piece of metal in her side.

The farther she pushed her fingers, the more pain she was in. She bit down on the piece of undershirt until her jaw got sore. 

It felt like it took several minutes or hours to find it, but eventually she did, hand sticky with crusty, golden sap. 

With tears streaming from her eyes, Elah hissed as she smothered the bursting bullet wound with her ripped undershirt. 

Fucking snipers. 

Fucking bullets. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elah: Sylvari Warrior


	21. Day 21: Chronic Pain

Acon’s bicep never felt right after taking a poisoned dart in the jungle. 

Sometimes it burned, sometimes it was sore, sometimes the pain was so unbearable that it would stop him in his tracks, gripping the arm tightly while he bit his lip so hard that it would bleed. 

No mender or healer would give him an actual reason for it, so he had to grin and bear it. 

Tangelo would tell him that he needed help for it, but who would help? He had been to anyone who would be qualified to help him? To fix him?

He would smile, kiss him on the cheek, and continue with his business. 

Sometimes when the pain was so intense, he’d lay awake in bed and clench his jaw so hard, tears leaking onto the pillow. 

Sometimes he wondered if this poison was meant for Mordrem and it had a negative effect on normal sylvari. That he had to suffer because he was too slow just one time. 

He’d tremble as Tangelo would inch closer to him, half asleep and sensing his distress, and pull him close in a cuddle. 

The trembling would stop as his partner would rest his chin in the crook of his neck and arms wrapped tightly around his chest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Acon: Sylvari Thief


	22. Day 22: Drugged

Met woke with a headache and a tongue that felt like it wouldn’t fit properly in his mouth.

As someone knocked incessantly on his skull, the wind was promptly knocked him by a sudden punch to the gut.

“Ah, lovely,” he mumbled as he gasped and spit out some sap, “Have I been drugged again?”

He looked up to see a very out-of-sorts bandit. They were trembling with rage, fist shaking in front of his face.

“Shut up, sylvari. I know you cheated us with money,” They punched him again, “We want it back.”

It barely hurt in his fog and haze and the cottony feeling in his mouth, but it was getting hard to breathe regardless.

“Funny thing about gold,“ he slurred, a dopey grin eased itself onto his face, “It’s soooo easy to spend it. I bought something quite lovely for my lady-love.”

That earned him another punch. 

The bandit grabbed his face violently, cringing as the pliable, human skin scraped against bark.

(That made Met laugh like a drunken idiot.)

“You give us our money back or your “lady-love” will pay for it.”

Despite the pain in his head, fuzziness in his mouth, and feeling high as a kite, that made him feel as sober as he possibly could. Fear took its hold as he even thought about Ru being in danger.

He clenched his jaw so hard that it felt like it cracked.

He knew she could protect herself, but he also would kill this arsehole to protect her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Metasen: Sylvari Warrior and mercenary


	23. Day 23: Exhaustion | Sleep Deprivation

Jon let out a long, long sigh. 

He could feel Aster’s breath on his shoulder, steady and even. She was asleep and he wasn’t...again. 

He rested his head on the top of her’s, where the leaf tickled her nose. His eyelids felt heavy and his head was pounding.

He wasn’t feeling right at all. 

_ Afraid _ , whispered something at the back of his mind. 

He was so tired. Exhausted even. 

He laid there, silent in the blackness. He closed his sightless eyes, wondering if he should really make the attempt this time. 

Aster sighed next to him, so he pulled her in even closer. She smelled fresh and wonderful, something that reminded him of a lovely, spring day. 

He sighed. He didn’t want to be afraid of falling asleep, he just was.

He wasn’t sure what to do about it. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go back, but it probably would help him in the long run. 

When he suggested it to Aster, it was a desperate response, full of fear and need. He didn’t want to be afraid, that’s all. 

He needed sleep, he had to stomp this out before it turned into insomnia or something. 

He didn’t want to go alone. 

He couldn’t go alone. 

_ Afraid _ .  _ Mists. Alone _ . 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jonquil: Sylvari Revenant


	24. Day 24: Forced Mutism

He threw his dagger into the air. It twisted perfectly into a circle before dropping perfectly in his other outstretched hand. 

Brennus smiled at the glistening, golden sap that lined the edge of the blade before looking at the sad, little victim before him. 

“Aw, mate, why aren’t we talking? Aren’t we having a wonderful time?”

The victim sobbed to themself, mouth clenched shut and sap dripped from the corners of their mouth. He knelt to their level, grabbing the jaw of the other sylvari. 

He squeezed the jaw tightly. 

The sylvari cried in pain, avoiding eye contact with him. 

Now, that wasn’t fair. 

“Mates give each other respect by making eye contact. I thought we were mates,” he said with a wicked grin on his face, “Give us a look-see.”

His victim’s tears continued to fall from their face and opened their mouth, as if to retort, but nothing came from the mouth. 

Brennus grinned as he saw the inside of the mouth. There was his handy work for him to see. 

Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. He definitely deserved a pat on his back because of this tactic. 

In the victim’s mouth, sap continued to flow from the cut off tongue. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brennus: Sylvari Necromancer (Courtier)


	25. Day 25: Disorientation | Blurred Vision | Ringing Ears

As she opened her eyes after bracing impact, Borgi’s ears would not stop ringing. 

Kairi and Phinoa were still pinned to her Bear-like chest, clinging to her by her fur and trembling violently. Both looked so much younger than they were. 

She gently pulled them away from her and laid them on the ground, looking them over as she transformed back into her norn self, brown fur disappearing into pale, tattooed skin. 

She stumbled backwards as she stood up straight, holding her head as the world spun. 

It wouldn’t stop spinning. And spinning. And spinning. 

Last she remembered, she and the girls were falling from the broken airship, broken to pieces by the jungle and several sylvari on board. 

What in Tyria did the dragon do to their comrades? The earth itself? Was everyone else okay? Where were they? Questions swirled in her head as something churned in her belly. 

The adrenaline inside of her drained from her, pain violently taking its place. She fell to her knees, she hovered over the junior girls, who seemed to be huddled together in their panic-induced slumber. 

The world around her buzzed in her sensitive ears, head was light and dizzy, her eyes blurred and darkened, as she lost consciousness right next to them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Borghildr: Norn Guardian


	26. Day 26: Migraine

It started out like a typical headache he got when he stayed up late, reading by candlelight in the middle of the night. Throbbing and pulsing, a warning to tell him to stop what he was doing and go to bed. 

The next morning, the throbbing had intensified tenfold, so he had rolled over and intended to smother himself with his own pillow. 

Instead, Oleander decided he would smother his face with a face full of black jaguar fur. Either would work perfectly in this case. 

Every time someone tried to come into his bedroom office, he would tell them to leave immediately. 

Several hours later, he heard the door creak open and something churned in his gut. He gripped tightly onto Bagheera’s fur and was about to tell them to leave when a gentle hand pet his leaves. 

“Oh, Ollie, you look terrible,” Luna whispered, so quietly that it barely split his skull in two. He leaned into her touch, welcoming her calming presence into his space. 

With great force, he turned his head towards her, squinting in the low light and grimacing in pain as he said, “Stay with me?”

“Of course, love,” Her sweet smile almost made the pain worth it, “Go back to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oleander: Sylvari Ranger


	27. Day 27: Power Outage

There was a moment of silence before the transformer blew into smithereens. 

_ Crackle. BOOOOOM! _

Hilargi trembled as the lights suddenly shut down, leaving the entire lab in the pitch blackness. She saw specks of light and shouts in the distance from the other lab workers, planning to fix the immediate problem. 

Her ears drooped as the clambering faded and the lights went farther in the distance

She never liked the dark very much, if she was being honest. The shadows would always do something creepy at night and the whispers outside Rata Sum, of Maguuma, never made the uneasiness fade away. 

When she was merely a progeny, Phinoa would show her small flames in her hands, banishing the darkness again. Something about that tiny flame always made her feel safe and warm, huddled next to her big sister who would protect her..

Hilargi was older now, but the fear crept up her spine and made her tremble again.

She pressed her forehead to her knees as an arm wrapped around her tiny shoulders. Her head jolted up to see green eyes and a calm, stoic expression.

“Frytt?”

He gave her the smallest smile possible and pulled her head to his shoulder, where she leaned into warmth and security.

“Don’t worry, Hilargi,” He murmured, breath brushing her hair, “I’m here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hilargi: Asura Thief


	28. Day 28: Mugged

“Ow. Ow. Ow.”

His jaw still throbbed in pain where the mugger had slammed their fist into it as Kairi dabbed a cut on his forehead with disinfectant. 

“I still can’t believe this happened to you, man.” Anselm was shaking his head in the corner and Dorian couldn’t tell if he was worried or amused. Or both.

“They snuck up on my bad side and I’m shit at hand-to-hand, what do you expect?” he mumbled as he picked at his sleeve, “Ah, crap, they ruined my jacket.”

“That’s the least of your problems, dummy,” Kairi said as she helped him out of said jacket and shirt, staring at the dark, blossoming bruise on his ribs, “They got you here too? You really need to be more careful, Dorian.”

He clenched his jaw and sighed. 

He was an easy target with a blind eye and fancy clothes. Maybe he needed to live incognito and dress up like a commoner when he bothered to leave the house in DR. Maybe he shouldn’t bother to leave the house at all?

He gently touched his sore ribs, black and blue stark against the paleness of his skin, and cringed.

Why did he even bother?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dorian: Human Necromancer (noble)


	29. Day 29: Reluctant Bedrest

He really didn’t want to be here.

He hissed as he shifted, the deep wound in his side reminded him why he was there in the first place. Whatever that bastard did to their blade, it was being a pain by not letting his wound heal quickly enough.

He was tempted to pick at the bandages that were wrapped around him, yellow sap oozing through. The pain was intense and refused to let up.

“I hate this so much,” he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “I feel like shite and I want to get out of here.”

“How about a visitor? Would that make you feel better?” a bright voice called to him from the doorway. Cedrus’s head shot up at the sound, softening at the sound.

“Rosie,” he said with a smile. Rosaleen came to sit next to him with bright smiles and energy, making him lose focus on his wounded side. She patted his hand, comforting.

“How are you feeling, Ceddy?”

He shrugged in response; he felt like absolute garbage, if he wanted to tell her the truth.

(Which he didn’t.)

He flexed his bicep, stretching his body so that the pain flared again, “I feel like I could take on a thousand Courtiers.”

She giggled and that was all he needed to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cedrus: Sylvari Guardian (Warden)


	30. Day 30: Wound Reveal | Ignoring an Injury

She felt the pain radiating from him as he held her close, running without stopping.

“Are you hurt?” she asked while gripping the leaves of his coat, wondering if any of them were sticky with sap.

Castil grunted and pulled her closer to him, “I’m fine.”

She knew he was lying to her, but she didn’t push the issue. Normally, she enjoyed feeling the pain of other people. It usually meant that she was making her contribution to Nightmare.

But, this she hated. Hated it so much that it made her own soul hurt.

Maybe it was because Castil was the other half of her soul, the only thing who could keep her grounded and away from thoughts of the dragon. He kept her in the present moment and nothing else could compare.

“Castil?”

Her spider looked down at her, their eyes meeting, and something fluttered inside of her. He smiled, as if to reassure her. 

“Sif, I’m okay.” 

There were bags under his eyes that didn’t seem familiar. His jaw was clenched and brows too furrowed together.

He didn’t look okay. He was not okay.

“You’re not okay. I don’t like it when you get hurt.”

“I know, Sif, but I will be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Siflora: Sylvari Mesmer (Courtier)


	31. Day 31: Left for Dead

“-phine. Delphi, wake up. Please.”

The voice calling her felt so far away, but the presence accompanying it was not. It was familiar, but terrified. 

She slowly opened her eyes to the real world, gasping at the pain that hit her at once. Another sylvari held her close to himself, washing soothing healing magic all over her. 

“D-Dendron?”

Tension washed out of him and he looked at her with icy blue eyes. He pressed his forehead to hers with desperation, which scared her more than she’d like to admit. 

“I’m going to kill him,” Dendron hissed, rage flowing through him and through the Dream, “Brutally and painfully.”

She closed her eyes as her forehead rested against his. Her hands trembled as they rested on his handsome, craggy face. She could feel his face twitch, as if he was suppressing the need to cry. 

There was so much swirling within him: fear, relief, rage. It frightened her beyond belief and needless to say, she understood. That bastard had tortured her and left her in the forest, bleeding and broken for Dendron to find. 

There wasn’t much she could say that would change his mind about murdering Brennus, but she certainly found herself agreeing with him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Delphine: Sylvari Ranger (Warden)

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi @cashewwritesstuff or @cashew-butter on tumblr!


End file.
